Good point, @Nammu. Former employees complained about this company's clique culture and low pay. my state lists the minimum pay for this role as $45K, so both law firms (the 5 person law firm, part of a larger franchise and the larger downtown law firm that has been around for 35 years, lowball their entry level staff's salaries).

I did call the contact at Job #2 and asked him about:

-is overtime required
-would he increase the hourly rate
-would he pay for parking

He called me back to let me know:

-the firm would pay the $150/mo parking ramp
-overtime is NOT required and that if I was asked to stay late, I would be paid for overtime (state law requires that they pay me for overtime, thankfully)
-he would not budge on the low salary but it's still better than the $38K Job #1 salary.

So, that means: for both jobs:

Free parking for both Job #1 and Job #2
No monthly health insurance premium for me to pay

As far as office politics:

Small office of 5 versus Medium/Large office with an human resources person

Job #1 staff: 1 woman, 5 men - no human resources person
Job #2 staff 5 women, 15 men - one human resources person

I could TRY to address the 2 attornies' office politicking by scheduling 1 on 1 meetings with them every week to protect myself and keep them updated on my work tasks for the other attorney. I touted communication and transparency as my #1 requirement for a helathy work environment.

My worry is that with Job #1 and only 1 other woman, and 5 men, it would stress me out. At the last temp job from hell that I posted about, the mix of men and women were nearly equal.

As much as I would like to walk around the tree lined streets on the 30 minute lunch break offered by Job #1, if I get sick, I'm screwed b/c there's only 5 people there and the role is the front desk.

Job #2 has a front desk receptionist already so if I get sick, the office won't fall apart if I have to stay home to recover for a couple of days.

I just realized that there's more flexibility for me to stay home if I get sick with Job #2, but there's no flexiblity from Job #1 if I get sick since that role is the front desk. Also, if the woman who oversees me doesn't like me asking the same question twice, that could mean she'd potentially fire me....

I still haven't received any email response from Job #1 so that shows me that clearly my request for an offer letter isn't her priority. I just don't feel right showing up to Job #1 on Monday without having everything summarized in writing first.

I could rideshare 8 hours a day and make more money (after the cost of filling my gas tank) than both of these two jobs. However, the idea of a stable dollar amount on a bi-weekly paycheck appeals to me.